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Myrddyn_ap_Cymru Grey Joined: 05 Aug 2009 Total posts: 10 Gender: Unknown |
 Posted: 07-11-2009 19:08 Post subject: "50 ft long shark(s)" on National Geographic? |
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A former housemate told me a couple of years ago he had seen footage on an American documentary (he believed it was by National Geographic) of a deep diving sub filming an enormous shark at a great depth. He remembered it as being around 50 ft long and of an unknown species, he seemed to recall the sub was manned and the occupants were scared (no s***!).
He also said he'd seen footage or heard of footage of a 50ft great white, which again he felt had been on National Geographic. I pressed him for further details but he couldn't remember any, he seemed genuine. He was Spanish and both sets of footage had been broadcast in Spain, although a part of American documentaries. The conversation began after he had seen the summer 2007 "Nessie" footage of something seeming to move at high speed under the water, he seemed very impressed by this, so maybe was the type to get excited about nothing, although he seemed sensicle enough to me.
Obviously if this were true it would have been all over the media, or at the very least the Fortean media. But he was adamant that this was the truth, so I've wondered where he got these impressions from. He must have seen some footage of some form of particularly large or unusual shark. I've tried googling this to no avail. Anyone got any ideas as to what the fire was that created this smoke? He had seen the footage comparatively recently. |
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| theyithian Keeping the British end up
Joined: 29 Oct 2002 Total posts: 8185 Location: At the sharp end Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: 07-11-2009 19:23 Post subject: |
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A programme speculating on the survival of Carcharodon Megalodon perhaps?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megalodon
| Quote: | One Of The Sightings:
Great white shark expert Great white shark experts Richard Ellis and John McCosker have included a rather compelling chapter on Megalodon in his definitive 1991 volume, Great White Shark. Ellis (who authored the chapter on Megalodon), notes that although all the fossilized Megalodon teeth found so far indicate that the shark is extinct, we should really get concerned about the welfare of our divers if someone ever dredges up a white Megalodon tooth. Because if we did, "we would know that the giant shark became extinct quite recently," writes Ellis, "or is flourishing somewhere in the vastness of the oceans and has simply lost a tooth."
As frightening as a notion like that may seem for anyone who doesn't live in central Nebraska, could it ever happen? Almost all who have investigated the possible existence of the great Megalodon realize that if it is extinct, it has only recently occured in the geological record. The creature lived as long ago as 50 million years (Middle and Late Tertiary Period), but Ellis confirms that scientists have concluded Megalodon probably "just" became extinct, in the late Pleistocene or early Holocene epochs. In other words, as close as 10,000 years ago! Pretty scary stuff, Mr. Cousteau.
Zoological history has proven that very large animals can remain hidden from modern science, especially in our planet's under-explored ocean depths. So if the famous coelacanth can remain undisturbed for 60 million years, why not push our giant white shark up a mere 10,000? Apparently Ellis sees no major problem with that when he writes, "Except that we have not found one, there appears to be no reason why Megalodon should not be flourishing today." Granted, Ellis feels that no concrete evidence has been found for Megalodon's current existence. "But there will always be those who keep hoping that one will appear. Let us hope we are not in the water when it does."
Or has one already appeared? Contained in Ellis's chapter on Megalodon is quite an amazing sighting report from Australia. It is taken from David G. Stead's Sharks and Rays of Australian Seas, published in 1963. Here is the now-classic monster encounter, in Stead's words:
"In the year 1918 I recorded the sensation that had been caused among the "outside" crayfish men at Port Stephens, when, for several days, they refused to go to sea to their regular fishing grounds in the vicinity of Broughton Island. The men had been at work on the fishing grounds--which lie in deep water--when an immense shark of almost unbelievable proportions put in an appearance, lifting pot after pot containing many crayfishes, and taking, as the men said, "pots, mooring lines and all." These crayfish pots, it should be mentioned, were about 3 feet 6 inches in diameter and frequently contained from two to three dozen good-sized crayfish each weighing several pounds. The men were all unanimous that this shark was something the like of which they had never dreamed of. In company with the local Fisheries Inspector I questioned many of the men very closely and they all agreed as to the gigantic stature of the beast. But the lengths they gave were, on the whole, absurd. I mention them, however, as an indication of the state of mind which this unusual giant had thrown them into. And bear in mind that these were men who were used to the sea and all sorts of weather, and all sorts of sharks as well. One of the crew said the shark was "three hundred feet long at least"! Others said it was as long as the wharf on which we stood--about 115 feet! They affirmed that the water "boiled" over a large space when the fish swam past. They were all familiar with whales, which they had often seen passing at sea, but this was a vast shark. They had seen its terrible head which was "at least as long as the roof on the wharf shed at Nelson's Bay." Impossible, of course! But these were prosaic and rather stolid men, not given to 'fish stories' nor even to talking about their catches. Further, they knew that the person they were talking to (myself) had heard all the fish stories years before! One of the things that impressed me was that they all agreed as to the ghostly whitish color of the vast fish."
In this popular account, we apparently have credible witnesses, and a knowledgeable investigator, Stead, who believed the fishermen were telling the truth (and that they may have witnessed a living Megalodon). I believe the "fact" that they did not return to sea for days could be added to their credibility, and to their loss in wages after the apparently traumatic experience (unless they were hoaxing the entire event, of course.) We also have some rather strange features in this report, including the tremendous lengths the fishermen reported, if we cannot attribute these to exaggeration due to intense fear. If we cannot, then it seems if Megalodon has survived, it may have grown bigger, and I am not sure which idea is scarier.
In his 1989 book There Are Giants in the Sea, BBC film producer and wildlife author Michael Bright concludes his sea-monster volume with mention of the giant fish:
Imagine, then, the shock when scientists dredging the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, earlier this century, discovered two 10 cm. (4 in.) long megalodon teeth that were what can only be described as geologically "fresh." One was estimated to be 24,000 years old--roughly the time of the Lascaux cave paintings. The other was just 11,000 years old and therefore belonged to a gigantic shark that swam in the Pacific Ocean at the same time as man was migrating from Asia into North America. Could this enormous predator still be lurking in the ocean depths?(4)
I suppose we'll have to see what the oceans of the world turn up for the monster hunters to hold triumphantly over the heads of skeptics. But how exciting it would be if a 70-foot shark was deposited on the shores of California, surrounded by excited vacationers with video cameras in tow. Putting child-like dreaming aside, however, leaves us with the fact that whether or not the huge Megalodon is alive today is debatable only on theoretical grounds. Despite thousands of giant, still fossilized teeth, no matter how "fresh" they might be, and the amazing (perhaps exaggerated) report from Stead, there is not much to go on.(5) However, if some shark experts can agree not to completely write off "Meg" into extinction, then we might want to ponder the possibility that Peter Benchley's imagination is not as wild as we thought it was. And we will never go deep-sea fishing in anything smaller than an aircraft carrier ever again.
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46630 |
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| EnolaGaia Joined: 19 Jul 2004 Total posts: 495 Location: USA Gender: Male |
| Posted: 07-11-2009 20:32 Post subject: |
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The '2 years ago' and 'submersible' aspects are reminiscent of the Delta submersible's encounter with a six-gill shark at a depth of around 1000m in late 2007 or early 2008.
There are multiple videos of this floating around the 'Net. Here's one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHuvs9Qqa5o |
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| Myrddyn_ap_Cymru Grey Joined: 05 Aug 2009 Total posts: 10 Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: 07-11-2009 21:09 Post subject: |
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| EnolaGaia wrote: | The '2 years ago' and 'submersible' aspects are reminiscent of the Delta submersible's encounter with a six-gill shark at a depth of around 1000m in late 2007 or early 2008.
There are multiple videos of this floating around the 'Net. Here's one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHuvs9Qqa5o |
That could explain it, he could easily have been confused or exagerated the length. He was more sketchy on the giant "great white", although it faintly reminiscent of the Australian story above; and I can't remember whether he said he'd seen the other footage or was just aware of it. |
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| Bigfoot73 Great Old One Joined: 19 May 2009 Total posts: 238 Location: Leeds Gender: Male |
| Posted: 07-11-2009 21:26 Post subject: |
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I'm not saying this is another mis-identified basking shark but not so long ago the larger ones seen were 35-45 feet and I think the record is 70 !
My only sighting was one trolling along off Charlestown beach, Cornwall back in the late 70s. The fin was about 2 and a half to 3 feet out of the water, which would make for a shark of a good 25-30 feet.
Nowadays 20 feet is about the largest reported . I think it fair to say that shark species can vary in size a lot, not just between individuals but over quite short spans of time. Perhaps it was just a biggie from a known species., or maybe a known species is suddenly getting bigger. |
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| Myrddyn_ap_Cymru Grey Joined: 05 Aug 2009 Total posts: 10 Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: 07-11-2009 21:52 Post subject: |
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| My first thought was basking shark, but do they live at great depths? I also didn't realise they got much above 35 ft. |
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| theyithian Keeping the British end up
Joined: 29 Oct 2002 Total posts: 8185 Location: At the sharp end Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: 07-11-2009 21:55 Post subject: |
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| The biggest measured was just over 40ft. That doesn't, of course, preclude bigger specimens swimming around. Whale Sharks are bigger though... |
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| Myrddyn_ap_Cymru Grey Joined: 05 Aug 2009 Total posts: 10 Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: 07-11-2009 22:01 Post subject: |
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| Whale sharks, to my eyes at least are readily distinguishable from most/all other sharks, but, yes that could also be an explanation. |
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| rynner2 What a Cad!
Great Old One Joined: 13 Dec 2008 Total posts: 3894 Location: Under the moon Gender: Male |
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| Myrddyn_ap_Cymru Grey Joined: 05 Aug 2009 Total posts: 10 Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: 08-11-2009 02:35 Post subject: |
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6m is big for a "normal" great white but not unusual is it?
How do I edit my profile? I'd like to add an avatar. |
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| DougalLongfoot Great Old One Joined: 26 Jul 2005 Total posts: 217 Location: Tamworth, Australia Age: 35 Gender: Male |
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| oldrover Grey Joined: 18 Oct 2009 Total posts: 14 Location: Wales Gender: Male |
| Posted: 08-11-2009 14:58 Post subject: |
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we have a regular very large basking shark that comes in to one of the little bays at Mumbles, very close to the shore, at around 9 on summer mornings.
this led to reports of a great white in Swansea bay some years back. |
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| Peripart is only passing through
Great Old One Joined: 01 Aug 2005 Total posts: 3126 Age: 41 Gender: Male |
| Posted: 08-11-2009 23:44 Post subject: |
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Maybe the footage mentioned in the OP was from one of those "Walking with Beasts" type of mock-documentaries that the BBc and others did a few years back? They used Jurassic Park-style graphics to place presenters alongside extinct creatures.
This clip, for example, from Walking with Monsters shows Nigel Marven "meeting" a megalodon. |
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| lordmongrove Yeti Joined: 30 May 2009 Total posts: 30 Gender: Unknown |
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| Myrddyn_ap_Cymru Grey Joined: 05 Aug 2009 Total posts: 10 Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: 15-11-2009 12:29 Post subject: |
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I've seen the first video before, a friend alerted me to it saying a "megalodon" had been caught on camera. I was first aware if it on youtube around the time my Spanish housemate told me, I think I may even have shown it to him. The footage he had seen was older and I'm pretty certain it's not that film he saw.
The second clip has been posted above and is a possibility.
I don't think he had seen footage from "Walking With". |
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